Daybreak Games announces H1Z1 is now free-to-play, the announcement coming a
surprisingly quick eight days after
the official launch of
the battle royale shooter.
This post announces the sale of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Battle Royale
packs, and
this post covers the transition to free-to-play, including how to apply for
a refund. They note Steam's refund policy applies, so this will only work
for those who bought the game within the past two weeks and have played for
under two hours. This trailer
celebrates the news, and here are the details, including word on the launch of
the H1Z1 Pro League:

You asked, we heard you.
Experience the game that put Battle Royale on the map and then redefined it with
Auto Royale, for FREE. Yep, you read that right! Starting at approximately 10 AM
PT, you can download H1Z1 for FREE!

You asked, we heard you. Experience the game that put Battle Royale on the map
and then redefined it with Auto Royale, for FREE!

Free to play isn’t the only thing to get hyped about. The H1Z1 Pro League just
confirmed the 15 esports teams that will be participating in the inaugural
season, the official venue location in Las Vegas, and its streaming partnership
with Facebook. More info can be found here

“We are very excited to announce that H1Z1 will be free to play starting
today. Not only does this decision allow us to share our version of Battle
Royale and Auto Royale with even more players, but it signifies the next step in
making H1Z1 a must-watch esport. The Pro League is going to redefine esports
when it kicks off in Las Vegas this April, and whether a person is an aspiring
pro athlete or just wants to play with friends, we want everyone to have the
chance to play the most competitive battle royale game.” -- Anthony Castoro,
H1Z1 General Manager

To thank all of our loyal players who helped make awesome, game-changing
decisions during our time in Early Access, we'll be rewarding everyone who
already purchased the game with the “H1Z1 Appreciation Pack”, containing the
following items:

I haven't played H1Z1 since before the split.Are you guys sure that's P2W? They sound like cosmetic weapon skins, I don't think you're spawning with those weapons and players who don't pay aren't... Not really sure how the loot works in this one.